Reviews of Eau de Patou (1976)
by Jean Patou

Eau de Patou (for Women) is an incredible fragrance. It opens with a light and delicate citrus with the elegant addition of petitgrain. It has a wonderfully refined and restrained floral middle—sophisticated and transparent. Add to this the classic, discreet base of moss and amber, which exhibits its close relationship to the two classic masculine Patou’s, and what it results in is one of the best designer fragrances I have ever encountered. I certainly can’t improve on calchic’s description of the scent and I agree with Griff that this wonderfully elegant fragrance is wearable by men: There are a few minutes when the middle notes seem to move a bit to the distaff side, but that is no threat against masculinity. The top and the dry down are wonderfully unisex. Excellent sillage and longevity. Eau de Patou is a peerless classic creation. (Edit of 09 December 2006 review.)

I stumbled upon this discontinued fragrance as I was browsing through the aisles of a local discounter. There were no testers handy so I had to buy it blind. And I'm glad I did for other than affordability, EAU DE PATOU is indeed, as its marketing literature suggests, a "subtle melody of sublime floral and fruity notes, perfect for all those unhurried moments, informal meetings and pleasurable days." This is a light citrus scent somewhat reminiscent of Armani's Eau Pour Homme but dries down to a more unisexually wearable combination of amber, moss and civet/musk. Casual, everyday scent IMO. The only potential downside? It comes in a splash bottle.

Brings together two of my favourite fragrances, Eau Sauvage and Dunhill for Men. Eau de Patou though has no Vetiver, minimal pepperiness, is much brighter, and for sure has more bitterness. This is a unisex and universal fragrance. It may be a bit too bright for some men so I think it might be a perfect candidate for a little bit of layering. Given its superb longevity Eau de Patou is a keeper in my books.

Re-review of the masculine version of this citrus chypre.

This is really excellent and the quality can be smelled immediately. Citrus with a shot of basil in the opening. There's more than lemon here, but the lemon stands out to me.

The mids are very subtle with floral,wood and patch. They are almost like bystanders rather than participants. Ambery musk with a dash of musk and civet in the base and once again, it's subtle.

Close to the skin with very moderate projection and longevity. Clean and funky at the same time. It's a lighthearted and fun scent made with very good ingredients and created when this house was just about at the apex of its game as far as I'm concerned.

The homme version of eau de Patou is indeed peerless. The rich, crisp notes of lemon and lime pervades and seduces and one readily submits to its charm. Not a false note in this scent. One of the best timeless citrus scent ever made.

The best creamy citrus there is I would say, and yes wonderful in the heat of summer like running nude through a citrus orchard with a sprinkler going.
A must in your fragrance wardrobe.
Can still be found from time to time at discount fragrance store so keep an eye out.

I instantly liked and can#T add too much to what has been so competently said. So I'll furnish some facts:
Did you know there was a male and a female version of Eau de Patou?
Eau de Patou pour homme from 1976 is listed in the H&R Duftatlas from 1989 with these notes:
Top:Lemon, Lime (Bergamot, Mandarin, Basil, Aldehyde)
Middle:Jasmin, Patchouli (Iris, Clove, Fruit note, Cedarwood)
Base:Moss, Musk (Amber, Civet, Labdanum)

The presently discussed female version contains (according to parfyym.pri.ee):
Top: Sicilian Citrus, Guinea orange
Middle: Tunesian orange blossom, pepper, honeysuckle, Ylan Ylang, nasturtium
Base:Musk, Moss, Amber Civet

The midnote florals somehwat remind me of Dukes of Pall Mall Cotswold, though that has quite a different citrus top.

I do find Eau de Patou rather feminine in the middle courtesy of the pronounced Ylan Ylang notes. I like Ylan Ylang, thankfully and there is nothing suffocatingly heavy here, of course.

Those florals create a certain (hand)creamy sensation which I also get in Casran (no good), Sander Background, Esper Graphite (soso). Here it's quite pleasant, though I can't help seeing a well-groomed attractive woman in a pastel spring or summer outfit before me when smelling this. As foetidus says, it gets less feminine as it dries down. Wonderful, but I really would like to try the men's.

I love this fragrance. I first tried it in winter, and decided that I didn't care if it was snowing, this fragrance was amazing in any season. The Petitgrain is both sweet and cooling, and the pepper and labdamum warmed it. I was heartsick when it was discontinued until I found Iskander by Perfumes Empire. It is as close as I can get to Eau de Patou without the real thing, and I'm in heaven again--and we are heading toward winter.

Calchic's review below on the complex composition is spot on. I would only add that this now out-of-production citrus and spice gem is is definitely suitable for men. It even out-classes Eau Sauvage in the fresh citrus category. Eau de Patou is like a smooth, silky citron cousin to Caron's L'Anarchiste. Shame it is no longer available.

The ideal in truly chic summer scents, and what makes it different from so many others that are similar - i.e. hesperides-based - is the presence of petitgrain as a topnote. Petitgrain is powdery sweet and has a very cooling feel, and here it plays against the citron and orange so that you get a splash of tartness and a dusting of talcum. Black pepper and nasturtium lend a little spark and character, and the body of the fragrance comes from a very smooth moss-amber-labdanum base rounded with basically imperceptble dashes of musk and civet that are there simply to help out the staying power, which is more than decent for a hesperides. I've gone through two bottles of this fragranve and definitely consider it a hot weather staple; it's magnificent.